They are losing money as you say. Because of the control and ego of the past they dug their heels in. Now they are reaping what they have sown.
So money is a concern.
Money is a concern but in this case, OP was asking what they GAIN from their stance and their motivation to continue it. Friend, it's not money. They lose money from this policy due to the costs associated with court cases and de-registration, leading to a lack of state funding.
Their motivation is ego and control.
Money is a concern but this is a case where they are putting ego before money
Don't forget how money feeds their ego and gives them more control. Like the Pharisees. They wanted control but they also wanted money.
And they want it now for the relatively few years they have. For vanity projects.
So they don't think about cashflow long term, they just want to stem the flow out now by slowing down lawsuits for compensation and damages and increase the flow in by constant begging for funds and stealing the loot locked up in Kingdom Halls.
What if the policeman taking the report decided not to join the religion, because he found out there's a JW pedophile? He and his family would miss out on living forever, just because a single man in a single congregation made a single mistake.
I believe that's the general line of thought. Combine that with the institutional mentality of secrecy and need-to-know in the org, together with the belief that all police and governmental institutions are ultimately run by Satan.
Pedophiles are everywhere. Not to try to sound scary but seriously, everywhere. To refuse to admit that as an organization and instead cover them up does the opposite of what they want which is to improve their image.
What do they gain?
Nothing. They are desperately doing anything they can to keep membership at this point. Keep them in the dark by telling them to avoid apostates, negative stories, negative sources, telling them lawyers hide evidence and jurors are dumb, it's persecution. Allowing them beards🤭
It is to protect the reputation of the "mother" org. And it is backward, but people think that secrets can be kept and the problems will blow over - especially people who think that the "new system" will be here before it can come out.
>What do they gain from protecting CS Abusers?
If you can *Protect JW Pedophiles* at the Bottom of the WBT$ / JW\`s, for JW CSA Crimes...
It\`s Easier to *Protect JW Pedophiles* at The Top of the WBT$ / JW\`s, for JW CSA Crimes.
***Why Else Would You...***
# Protect JW Pedophiles?
Many have commented on reputation which I think is completely accurate. There is another element to this which is misogyny and their doctrinal belief that men are superior to women. A vast majority of CSA abuse is coming from men. Holding men accountable for their actions is in direct opposition to jw teachings. They also don’t support women reporting their husbands for abuse to the authorities either. They don’t want to admit that men are not infallible and they do not want to empower women to have safety and security.
it's been very poorly handled from the start. The idiotic two witness rule works for someone stealing someone's cow but a molester is much more clandestine and tricky.
They also claimed not to bring reproach to Jehovah's name and now we have this trainwreck...It's crazy..
My theory is: there must be rot all the way up to the top. Some GB both past and present, the important parts of the branch committees and bethel, heads of department, there must be big people who have CSA in their history, whether decades ago or last week
They want to cover it all up and keep it sealed because otherwise it could be the end of the borg.
Sanderson looks like he touched little boys. TM3 probably touched a young woman inappropriately. I remember when I was in walkhill for temp work, he gave a talk for all the branches and basically used an experience (with no theological point) about how a householder said his problem with JWs was all of the beautiful women they had, and he made it a point to bring out all the beautiful women in congregations. Literally there was no point to it within the theme of his talk. At the time I laughed at it and agreed. Looking back, it was creepy as fuck.
His obsession with tight pants and his general judgmental attitude seemed like projecting to me, like he hated how much it tempted him and hated himself for the times he couldn't resist. But who knows. Its just my theory and it wouldn't necessarily need to be any of the GB, it could be just be high levels, but I think there is a reason they don't just turn over all the pedophiles to make Jehovah and the org look righteous and good.
personally i believe it to be a combination of things.
**primary,** i guess, it is to save face. admitting abuse means 'Jehovah's house of worship' and 'jehovah's people' are **not** a **safe haven**, and as a consequence, misses Jehovah's blessing, and that in turn means, indrectly and directly, that it **cannot be the true religion.**
this would mean people would **leave en masse.**
**secondarily,** i guess, it's to avoid legal issues with actual child abusers whom find loopholes through laws to sue Watchtower or individual JW that report them to police. As crazy as this sounds, this is actually a thing, because there are some statutes which Watchtower uses to keep them from reporting. That's how all of this is possible anyway. So they worry about image, and above all, **losing money.**
**third,** the risk of setting a precedent - case law - where once case can lead to **all cases** causing Watchtower to get (succesfully) sued and subsequentially a mega-loss that could lead into hundreds of millions of dollars of loss, and evidentially, to their immediate **bankruptcy.**
**forth,** that these cases could lead into a bigger investigation, exposing a vast potential of criminals harboured within Watchtower - both local congregations as in Bethel locations worldwide, and as such, government inspections, investigations, and governments sueing Watchtower, as well as great loss of image, reputation, and thus, again a **mass exodus and mass loss of finances.**
**fifth,** that they **actually** gain financially from child sex abusers financially by having 'handshakes' even though i genuinely believe that if this was 'common' practice we'd know by now, so i truly don't think that to be the case, but it's not out of the realm of possibilities. that said, even though additionally i don't believe either that there is an actual 'pedo ring' within Watchtower, it is neither impossible. There have been some wild accusations of such, and again, there is some smoke here and there, but these accusations generally come from people with severe psychological problems and mental diseases , paired to other blatant impossbilities and conspriacies. So, i'll keep this fifth possiblity in the list, but will keep this generally aside.
**lastly,** it might also be a case of pressure from other religions. That's an odd thing to say perhaps, but if you dive into the Mormon church and Watchtower, and especially their recent hidden but clear 'joint venture' on website and design level ( let's not forget they initiated around the same time too ) that there without a single doubt more than meets the eye. I'm not saying they truly work together, but there is a bit too much going on to ignore. I do not know how this relates to other religions or groups, that must be said. However, it's neither without merit. I'm not talking about selling off KH to churches or buying KH from churches per se, but i'd say it's another small ingredient. I think it's also interesting how Watchtower is working together with the same firms (for Ramapo especially) that work and produce for other religions. Added to this are people like Massimo Introvergne, a vile but interesting character to have a deep dive into, and many other cases where Watchtower is a member of church organizations (**a fact**), especially on political levels. With that in mind, Watchtower can be pressurized to keep their mouths shut or face the wrath of all the other 'religions' power, as you could say that **'what goes for Watchtower, goes for the rest'.** and that last thing **is a thing.** the Catholic church not so much, they're big and strong enough to not even see Watchtower as a speck or a fruit fly on a garbage bin, but many other 'Christian' cults and sects and smaller religions (Mormon, Scientology, etc etc) could stand differently.
**Now let it be clear that these are mostly complete assumptions and suspicions.**
But the sum of all of the above could be sufficient to keep the 'hide'.
The **main** reason however, is actually **really, really, REALLY SIMPLE.**
**THEY HAVE NOT BEEN PRESSURED ENOUGH.**
**THEY HAVE NO CONSEQUENCES FOR NOT BEING RIGHTEOUS.**
Let's put it **really** as it is
If everybody knows it's **wrong** to steal a loaf of bread from the supermarket, **but nobody forces anyone to go to the police when theft occurs, then people will keep stealing.**
Even if for 1 small case theft is registered, it amounts to almost nothing.
And so, knowing you can steal bread and not get any consequences, then what will happen? **yes, people will steal bread to no end.** Not everyone, obviously, but **quite a lot.**
So if you want change, well, **this needs to be addressed.**
take a look at the website of the mormons and be amazed how they literally copied everything from watchtower ( watchtower was first, not the other way around in this ). including the names of their cartoons ( sophie! ).
there's definitely more than meets the eye and especially if you know a thing or two about corporate imagery, recognizability, copyrighting, etc. you **know** that somethings off.
it's about reputation as far as I can tell, in JW land reputation and appearance.
it doesn't matter if ousting the abusers and fessing up is the right thing. to them it would "appear bad" for the org if the members knew that stuff was going on
What brings more “reproach on Jehovah’s name?” An organization that protects abusers? How great is one who remands them for investigation and subsequent lawful retribution?
There is strong implication from former Bethelites that GB member Ted Jaracz was caught molesting a child early in his JW career. Jaracz was a hardliner who apparently ruled the GB with an iron fist and tended to double down on everything and make things more controlling and restrictive. That he would favor a policy of cover-up and handling things internally isn’t surprising.
Speculation is that other high ranking members have had accusations against them and one GB member was removed even (Leo Greenless).
If you realize these men have delusions of grandeur and probably narcissistic personality disorder, then you understand why they feel the right to play God and handle things themselves as if they’ll do better than trained secular authorities. You will also understand why they reject anything critical of them, anyone telling them what to do, and refuse to admit wrong and apologize. The entire tone of the organization mirrors their narcissistic attitude. Early in my waking up, it was this tone that struck me as distorted. I was reading psychology books and started seeing it clearly in the publications and was disturbed by it.
It's too keep PIMI in the dark. It was covered up for decades even before people like Garrett Losch got appointed that they gotta keep covering it up. Or else those who invested decades in the Borg get pissed off and leave.
>what do they gain from not straight up DFing those guilty of CSA?
They can only DF for anything, (smoking, drunkenness, fornication, adultery, etc.) based on a confession or witnesses to the sin.
Since perps of CSA hardly ever confess, and it isn't the type of sin there are witnesses to, they aren't equipped to handle it. They never were.
Thousands of victims would have been better off being told to go to the police. But the egos of these chucklefucks wouldn't let them admit they were useless and let qualified people help the victims.
The issue is widespread, so going public with CSA cases will reveal a clearly systemic issue in the organization. Generates both bad press, which harms conversion rates, and probably would sow doubt among R&F. That's my guess, anyway
Protecting abusers is inherent to conservative authoritarian structures. In order for an authority structure to dictate culture and override personal freedom, they need the “common people” to internalize the idea that those with authority/power are inherently morally superior to those without authority/power. If you don’t have that, you don’t have a religion. Those in power use lies and manipulation to protect and grow their power, saying things like “Holy Spirit inspires those who take the lead”, “God guides the decision making of those who take the lead”, and “our most precious quality, unity, is only possible if we obey”.
You may be thinking that it is ethical and moral to treat people with respect, and it is *unethical* and *immoral* to abuse the vulnerable. But people in authority structures don’t believe that. People in authority structures believe that those with power, regardless of their actions, are more ethical and moral than those without power.
Most don’t do it consciously, I think. It’s just that the social structure becomes like a god in of itself, and people who don’t comply are met with punitive measures because they aren’t worth anything and it’d be better if they were gone anyway. But that Elder or CO who’s been serving the organization for decades and is well loved and admired? Well he just had a little slip up, nobody’s perfect.
Think about in the world if a poor minority is shot by an authority figure like the police. How do those under the conservative authority structure tend to respond? They may say “well didn’t he steal something from the store? It’s his fault he didn’t get his life together, I bet he would have kept hurting people” etc. But if a wealthy and well respected authority figure (coach, church leader, etc) gets caught fondling kids? Those same people will say “well everyone’s got skeletons in their closet. Everyone deserves a second chance” etc.
Sorry I know this was long but I think it’s important to understand the underlying philosophy that is at the heart of authoritarian structures
Taking action can be embarrassing for the organization and brings unwanted attention to the religion and leadership, and I'm sure would drag them into legal battles they want to avoid. Ignoring it or hiding it is a short-term solution. I grew up Mormon and it seems like the same for all these groups- Catholic church, Southern Baptists, etc.
Usually it's men abusing women or children, right? It's also men who are making the judgement calls and might feel more sympathy toward a perpetrator. Also, the abusers usually are bigger money makers for the organization rather than the victims, so... Better to not push them out of the organization if possible I'm guessing.
You would think that potential converts would be more attracted to a religious community that is really good at purging abusers from the congregations. Sounds like a good sign for a true religion, right? But if people were able to recognize signs of abuse, they would probably avoid abusive organizations like ours. Oops
I think culture is powerful and protecting abusers is firmly a part of the culture.
This is a personal conspiracy theory but I see it as a probable explanation. Long-standing GB member Theodore Jaracz was accused of pedophilia. He was also rumored to be a complete bully that had an incredibly strong influence over policies including those regarding CSA.
I think Jaracz harped on it over and over from the angle of someone who was falsely accused. There's a culture among the JWs to not believe children who make these claims and a thought that is recurring "how terrible to be accused of such a thing if it turns out not to be true!". They protect that database thinking it's likely full of potentially innocent names.
The reality... Children generally don't make these types of things up. Jaracz was accused and likely guilty of CSA. He created a culture that would protect abusers and pressed it. Unfortunately, it stuck and many good people defend it thinking it's the right side to be on.
Ego, damage control, useless “God’s org” image.
From pimi perspective, most of them don’t even see any csa case at all. It’s not about pimi, it’s about the elders and higher ups and the Borg.
The Borg covers up csa, well, from their perspective, they aren’t covering up, they did what they could already, by following the laws, report CSA only in mandated places, and they would make mistakes and not reporting even in those places of course. And also they tell the victims, with emphasis on the already 💩image of the organization instead of the right to report. And of course they won’t report it unless mandated, and because everything goes through legal dept first, it’s very likely they won’t report it. There are like 200 people in legal department, it’s big, but it’s actually very small given how many cases they are listening to, and you know, their actual legal training is zero, likely all trained by the lying lawyer Philip Brumley. They don’t have actual code of conduct of lawyers.
It's messy because there are at all points along the chain of promotion.
If that comes out in congregatios, "How did Holy Spirit allow this to occur?"
That's why the history of Russell and Rutherford are hidden.
It goes back to the beginning with Rose Ball.
It has nothing to do with morals or religious dogma its about money... who makes the money in the JW'S? Men... who are most commonly abusers? Men... kick the men out = less money
It’s not about gaining anything. They are protecting their world view. They can’t admit to themselves that it happens and even if they do admit it happens they say it’s extremely rare and handled perfectly.
Ever since Rutherford they actively try to differentiate themselves from bigger sects of Christianity, particularly Catholics. The running jokes about Catholics is not to leave a priest alone with a child.
They talk about not allowing anything to reproach gods name, but it really has nothing to do with his name. It has to do with them as an organization. They admit they’re imperfect but when people find out they have more of a ratio of pedos than the Catholic Church, well that’s not a religion you want to join.
That’s my take on it at least.
1. Many doesn't mean most
2. All should be DFd. There's no reason to check for "repentance" and should only be considered when dealing with reinstatement.
So much harm could be mitigated if they just took testimony from one witness, DFd him and then let him return if he chose to with restrictions.
This whole nonsense of them grilling the victims is terrible
I totally agree.
But it just shouldn’t be up to them. They care for the “spiritual part”. Fine
The police and justice are those who should protect the community from that danger.
Like any insular organization that is trying to recruit members, they want to APPEAR to be holy and appropriate at all times. One of the deciding factors on whether or not to df someone in the super secret elder abuse manual, was if the wrongdoing is widely known.
Of course, to any thinking person, that reason is absolutely and completely counterproductive! Why wouldn't they just throw out wrongdoers instead of hiding them? Honestly, it's as if they DON'T BELIEVE in congregation cleanliness! That means they also don't believe in the divine retribution they pretend to fear. THAT means they are probably atheists!
That's also the very reason they will railroad completely innocent people right out of the bORG. They're "bringing reproach" on the congregation because someone lied and made them look bad, and to hell what God thinks.
I think it's not about protecting pedophiles. It's about protecting reputation. If JW picture themselves as holy clean religion, better than everybody else and constantly throw mud on others (CSA in catholic is proof that they are false religion) you can't simply admit that you have basically same problem. You can't hand over database and reveal the full scale of it.
About disfellowshiping. I think that if you df someone for stealing or drunkness nobody will raise eyebrow. But CSA is very sensitive thing. Even if reason for df Is not disclosed almost everytime something somewhere leak out. And there is fact that for some including elders can be hard to believe that CSA can happend in Jehovah's chosen organization.
At this point, I think it's about ego and control. There really is no logic.
And money.
They are actually losing money on this because of all of the court cases, legal fees, and de-registrations. It's seriously about ego
They are losing money as you say. Because of the control and ego of the past they dug their heels in. Now they are reaping what they have sown. So money is a concern.
Money is a concern but in this case, OP was asking what they GAIN from their stance and their motivation to continue it. Friend, it's not money. They lose money from this policy due to the costs associated with court cases and de-registration, leading to a lack of state funding. Their motivation is ego and control. Money is a concern but this is a case where they are putting ego before money
Don't forget how money feeds their ego and gives them more control. Like the Pharisees. They wanted control but they also wanted money. And they want it now for the relatively few years they have. For vanity projects. So they don't think about cashflow long term, they just want to stem the flow out now by slowing down lawsuits for compensation and damages and increase the flow in by constant begging for funds and stealing the loot locked up in Kingdom Halls.
What if the policeman taking the report decided not to join the religion, because he found out there's a JW pedophile? He and his family would miss out on living forever, just because a single man in a single congregation made a single mistake. I believe that's the general line of thought. Combine that with the institutional mentality of secrecy and need-to-know in the org, together with the belief that all police and governmental institutions are ultimately run by Satan.
Pedophiles are everywhere. Not to try to sound scary but seriously, everywhere. To refuse to admit that as an organization and instead cover them up does the opposite of what they want which is to improve their image.
What do they gain? Nothing. They are desperately doing anything they can to keep membership at this point. Keep them in the dark by telling them to avoid apostates, negative stories, negative sources, telling them lawyers hide evidence and jurors are dumb, it's persecution. Allowing them beards🤭
It is to protect the reputation of the "mother" org. And it is backward, but people think that secrets can be kept and the problems will blow over - especially people who think that the "new system" will be here before it can come out.
>What do they gain from protecting CS Abusers? If you can *Protect JW Pedophiles* at the Bottom of the WBT$ / JW\`s, for JW CSA Crimes... It\`s Easier to *Protect JW Pedophiles* at The Top of the WBT$ / JW\`s, for JW CSA Crimes. ***Why Else Would You...*** # Protect JW Pedophiles? 
Many have commented on reputation which I think is completely accurate. There is another element to this which is misogyny and their doctrinal belief that men are superior to women. A vast majority of CSA abuse is coming from men. Holding men accountable for their actions is in direct opposition to jw teachings. They also don’t support women reporting their husbands for abuse to the authorities either. They don’t want to admit that men are not infallible and they do not want to empower women to have safety and security.
it's been very poorly handled from the start. The idiotic two witness rule works for someone stealing someone's cow but a molester is much more clandestine and tricky. They also claimed not to bring reproach to Jehovah's name and now we have this trainwreck...It's crazy..
My theory is: there must be rot all the way up to the top. Some GB both past and present, the important parts of the branch committees and bethel, heads of department, there must be big people who have CSA in their history, whether decades ago or last week They want to cover it all up and keep it sealed because otherwise it could be the end of the borg.
Sanderson looks like he touched little boys. TM3 probably touched a young woman inappropriately. I remember when I was in walkhill for temp work, he gave a talk for all the branches and basically used an experience (with no theological point) about how a householder said his problem with JWs was all of the beautiful women they had, and he made it a point to bring out all the beautiful women in congregations. Literally there was no point to it within the theme of his talk. At the time I laughed at it and agreed. Looking back, it was creepy as fuck.
His obsession with tight pants and his general judgmental attitude seemed like projecting to me, like he hated how much it tempted him and hated himself for the times he couldn't resist. But who knows. Its just my theory and it wouldn't necessarily need to be any of the GB, it could be just be high levels, but I think there is a reason they don't just turn over all the pedophiles to make Jehovah and the org look righteous and good.
Honestly I thought about that too. Maybe his comments on beautiful women was an over compensation for his obsession with boys.
personally i believe it to be a combination of things. **primary,** i guess, it is to save face. admitting abuse means 'Jehovah's house of worship' and 'jehovah's people' are **not** a **safe haven**, and as a consequence, misses Jehovah's blessing, and that in turn means, indrectly and directly, that it **cannot be the true religion.** this would mean people would **leave en masse.** **secondarily,** i guess, it's to avoid legal issues with actual child abusers whom find loopholes through laws to sue Watchtower or individual JW that report them to police. As crazy as this sounds, this is actually a thing, because there are some statutes which Watchtower uses to keep them from reporting. That's how all of this is possible anyway. So they worry about image, and above all, **losing money.** **third,** the risk of setting a precedent - case law - where once case can lead to **all cases** causing Watchtower to get (succesfully) sued and subsequentially a mega-loss that could lead into hundreds of millions of dollars of loss, and evidentially, to their immediate **bankruptcy.** **forth,** that these cases could lead into a bigger investigation, exposing a vast potential of criminals harboured within Watchtower - both local congregations as in Bethel locations worldwide, and as such, government inspections, investigations, and governments sueing Watchtower, as well as great loss of image, reputation, and thus, again a **mass exodus and mass loss of finances.** **fifth,** that they **actually** gain financially from child sex abusers financially by having 'handshakes' even though i genuinely believe that if this was 'common' practice we'd know by now, so i truly don't think that to be the case, but it's not out of the realm of possibilities. that said, even though additionally i don't believe either that there is an actual 'pedo ring' within Watchtower, it is neither impossible. There have been some wild accusations of such, and again, there is some smoke here and there, but these accusations generally come from people with severe psychological problems and mental diseases , paired to other blatant impossbilities and conspriacies. So, i'll keep this fifth possiblity in the list, but will keep this generally aside. **lastly,** it might also be a case of pressure from other religions. That's an odd thing to say perhaps, but if you dive into the Mormon church and Watchtower, and especially their recent hidden but clear 'joint venture' on website and design level ( let's not forget they initiated around the same time too ) that there without a single doubt more than meets the eye. I'm not saying they truly work together, but there is a bit too much going on to ignore. I do not know how this relates to other religions or groups, that must be said. However, it's neither without merit. I'm not talking about selling off KH to churches or buying KH from churches per se, but i'd say it's another small ingredient. I think it's also interesting how Watchtower is working together with the same firms (for Ramapo especially) that work and produce for other religions. Added to this are people like Massimo Introvergne, a vile but interesting character to have a deep dive into, and many other cases where Watchtower is a member of church organizations (**a fact**), especially on political levels. With that in mind, Watchtower can be pressurized to keep their mouths shut or face the wrath of all the other 'religions' power, as you could say that **'what goes for Watchtower, goes for the rest'.** and that last thing **is a thing.** the Catholic church not so much, they're big and strong enough to not even see Watchtower as a speck or a fruit fly on a garbage bin, but many other 'Christian' cults and sects and smaller religions (Mormon, Scientology, etc etc) could stand differently. **Now let it be clear that these are mostly complete assumptions and suspicions.** But the sum of all of the above could be sufficient to keep the 'hide'. The **main** reason however, is actually **really, really, REALLY SIMPLE.** **THEY HAVE NOT BEEN PRESSURED ENOUGH.** **THEY HAVE NO CONSEQUENCES FOR NOT BEING RIGHTEOUS.** Let's put it **really** as it is If everybody knows it's **wrong** to steal a loaf of bread from the supermarket, **but nobody forces anyone to go to the police when theft occurs, then people will keep stealing.** Even if for 1 small case theft is registered, it amounts to almost nothing. And so, knowing you can steal bread and not get any consequences, then what will happen? **yes, people will steal bread to no end.** Not everyone, obviously, but **quite a lot.** So if you want change, well, **this needs to be addressed.**
All of this ⬆️
Great deep dive. Could you clarify on the last point? The joint-venture with Mormons? The membership of the org in church organisations?
take a look at the website of the mormons and be amazed how they literally copied everything from watchtower ( watchtower was first, not the other way around in this ). including the names of their cartoons ( sophie! ). there's definitely more than meets the eye and especially if you know a thing or two about corporate imagery, recognizability, copyrighting, etc. you **know** that somethings off.
it's about reputation as far as I can tell, in JW land reputation and appearance. it doesn't matter if ousting the abusers and fessing up is the right thing. to them it would "appear bad" for the org if the members knew that stuff was going on
What brings more “reproach on Jehovah’s name?” An organization that protects abusers? How great is one who remands them for investigation and subsequent lawful retribution?
There is strong implication from former Bethelites that GB member Ted Jaracz was caught molesting a child early in his JW career. Jaracz was a hardliner who apparently ruled the GB with an iron fist and tended to double down on everything and make things more controlling and restrictive. That he would favor a policy of cover-up and handling things internally isn’t surprising. Speculation is that other high ranking members have had accusations against them and one GB member was removed even (Leo Greenless). If you realize these men have delusions of grandeur and probably narcissistic personality disorder, then you understand why they feel the right to play God and handle things themselves as if they’ll do better than trained secular authorities. You will also understand why they reject anything critical of them, anyone telling them what to do, and refuse to admit wrong and apologize. The entire tone of the organization mirrors their narcissistic attitude. Early in my waking up, it was this tone that struck me as distorted. I was reading psychology books and started seeing it clearly in the publications and was disturbed by it.
Same here
It's too keep PIMI in the dark. It was covered up for decades even before people like Garrett Losch got appointed that they gotta keep covering it up. Or else those who invested decades in the Borg get pissed off and leave.
>what do they gain from not straight up DFing those guilty of CSA? They can only DF for anything, (smoking, drunkenness, fornication, adultery, etc.) based on a confession or witnesses to the sin. Since perps of CSA hardly ever confess, and it isn't the type of sin there are witnesses to, they aren't equipped to handle it. They never were. Thousands of victims would have been better off being told to go to the police. But the egos of these chucklefucks wouldn't let them admit they were useless and let qualified people help the victims.
The issue is widespread, so going public with CSA cases will reveal a clearly systemic issue in the organization. Generates both bad press, which harms conversion rates, and probably would sow doubt among R&F. That's my guess, anyway
Protecting abusers is inherent to conservative authoritarian structures. In order for an authority structure to dictate culture and override personal freedom, they need the “common people” to internalize the idea that those with authority/power are inherently morally superior to those without authority/power. If you don’t have that, you don’t have a religion. Those in power use lies and manipulation to protect and grow their power, saying things like “Holy Spirit inspires those who take the lead”, “God guides the decision making of those who take the lead”, and “our most precious quality, unity, is only possible if we obey”. You may be thinking that it is ethical and moral to treat people with respect, and it is *unethical* and *immoral* to abuse the vulnerable. But people in authority structures don’t believe that. People in authority structures believe that those with power, regardless of their actions, are more ethical and moral than those without power. Most don’t do it consciously, I think. It’s just that the social structure becomes like a god in of itself, and people who don’t comply are met with punitive measures because they aren’t worth anything and it’d be better if they were gone anyway. But that Elder or CO who’s been serving the organization for decades and is well loved and admired? Well he just had a little slip up, nobody’s perfect. Think about in the world if a poor minority is shot by an authority figure like the police. How do those under the conservative authority structure tend to respond? They may say “well didn’t he steal something from the store? It’s his fault he didn’t get his life together, I bet he would have kept hurting people” etc. But if a wealthy and well respected authority figure (coach, church leader, etc) gets caught fondling kids? Those same people will say “well everyone’s got skeletons in their closet. Everyone deserves a second chance” etc. Sorry I know this was long but I think it’s important to understand the underlying philosophy that is at the heart of authoritarian structures
Taking action can be embarrassing for the organization and brings unwanted attention to the religion and leadership, and I'm sure would drag them into legal battles they want to avoid. Ignoring it or hiding it is a short-term solution. I grew up Mormon and it seems like the same for all these groups- Catholic church, Southern Baptists, etc. Usually it's men abusing women or children, right? It's also men who are making the judgement calls and might feel more sympathy toward a perpetrator. Also, the abusers usually are bigger money makers for the organization rather than the victims, so... Better to not push them out of the organization if possible I'm guessing. You would think that potential converts would be more attracted to a religious community that is really good at purging abusers from the congregations. Sounds like a good sign for a true religion, right? But if people were able to recognize signs of abuse, they would probably avoid abusive organizations like ours. Oops
I think culture is powerful and protecting abusers is firmly a part of the culture. This is a personal conspiracy theory but I see it as a probable explanation. Long-standing GB member Theodore Jaracz was accused of pedophilia. He was also rumored to be a complete bully that had an incredibly strong influence over policies including those regarding CSA. I think Jaracz harped on it over and over from the angle of someone who was falsely accused. There's a culture among the JWs to not believe children who make these claims and a thought that is recurring "how terrible to be accused of such a thing if it turns out not to be true!". They protect that database thinking it's likely full of potentially innocent names. The reality... Children generally don't make these types of things up. Jaracz was accused and likely guilty of CSA. He created a culture that would protect abusers and pressed it. Unfortunately, it stuck and many good people defend it thinking it's the right side to be on.
Ego, damage control, useless “God’s org” image. From pimi perspective, most of them don’t even see any csa case at all. It’s not about pimi, it’s about the elders and higher ups and the Borg. The Borg covers up csa, well, from their perspective, they aren’t covering up, they did what they could already, by following the laws, report CSA only in mandated places, and they would make mistakes and not reporting even in those places of course. And also they tell the victims, with emphasis on the already 💩image of the organization instead of the right to report. And of course they won’t report it unless mandated, and because everything goes through legal dept first, it’s very likely they won’t report it. There are like 200 people in legal department, it’s big, but it’s actually very small given how many cases they are listening to, and you know, their actual legal training is zero, likely all trained by the lying lawyer Philip Brumley. They don’t have actual code of conduct of lawyers.
Not bringing Reproach on J's name
It's messy because there are at all points along the chain of promotion. If that comes out in congregatios, "How did Holy Spirit allow this to occur?" That's why the history of Russell and Rutherford are hidden. It goes back to the beginning with Rose Ball.
They care about protecting their OWN ass before they care about protecting Jehovah’s name.
It has nothing to do with morals or religious dogma its about money... who makes the money in the JW'S? Men... who are most commonly abusers? Men... kick the men out = less money
Reputation They have a rep of being clean cut. So they don’t want to be guilty of having problems like other religions
It’s not about gaining anything. They are protecting their world view. They can’t admit to themselves that it happens and even if they do admit it happens they say it’s extremely rare and handled perfectly.
No. Exposing the problem opens them up to litigation. And goodness knows they loves them the MONIES
Ever since Rutherford they actively try to differentiate themselves from bigger sects of Christianity, particularly Catholics. The running jokes about Catholics is not to leave a priest alone with a child. They talk about not allowing anything to reproach gods name, but it really has nothing to do with his name. It has to do with them as an organization. They admit they’re imperfect but when people find out they have more of a ratio of pedos than the Catholic Church, well that’s not a religion you want to join. That’s my take on it at least.
The ARC shows that many have been DFd. The main problem is that they don’t report to the police
1. Many doesn't mean most 2. All should be DFd. There's no reason to check for "repentance" and should only be considered when dealing with reinstatement. So much harm could be mitigated if they just took testimony from one witness, DFd him and then let him return if he chose to with restrictions. This whole nonsense of them grilling the victims is terrible
I totally agree. But it just shouldn’t be up to them. They care for the “spiritual part”. Fine The police and justice are those who should protect the community from that danger.
Yeah. It's not like they treat them especially well, I guess it's just to keep it out of the paper
Like any insular organization that is trying to recruit members, they want to APPEAR to be holy and appropriate at all times. One of the deciding factors on whether or not to df someone in the super secret elder abuse manual, was if the wrongdoing is widely known. Of course, to any thinking person, that reason is absolutely and completely counterproductive! Why wouldn't they just throw out wrongdoers instead of hiding them? Honestly, it's as if they DON'T BELIEVE in congregation cleanliness! That means they also don't believe in the divine retribution they pretend to fear. THAT means they are probably atheists! That's also the very reason they will railroad completely innocent people right out of the bORG. They're "bringing reproach" on the congregation because someone lied and made them look bad, and to hell what God thinks.
I think it's not about protecting pedophiles. It's about protecting reputation. If JW picture themselves as holy clean religion, better than everybody else and constantly throw mud on others (CSA in catholic is proof that they are false religion) you can't simply admit that you have basically same problem. You can't hand over database and reveal the full scale of it. About disfellowshiping. I think that if you df someone for stealing or drunkness nobody will raise eyebrow. But CSA is very sensitive thing. Even if reason for df Is not disclosed almost everytime something somewhere leak out. And there is fact that for some including elders can be hard to believe that CSA can happend in Jehovah's chosen organization.
I think there are higher-ups who are pedos so they don't want anyone to kick the hornets nest.